Pictures Don’t Always Paint a Thousand Words
John Berger makes a bold statement in saying ‘ No other relic or text from the past can offer such a direct testimony about the world which surrounded other people at other times. In this respect images are more precise and richer than literature,’; (Ways of Reading, 106). This statement is very untrue. Literature has been the focal point of all modern learning.. Literature lets the reader feel what the author is thinking, not just see it as you would in a painting. This can be proven after reading Berger ‘s descriptions of paintings in Ways of Seeing and also reading parts of literature written by W.E.B Dubois.

When a reader reads literature it is easy to feel what the author is writing about . An author’s job is to show the reader his point of view. He does this by describing things, offering opinions, and making conclusions. By doing this the author can get his point across and the reader can hopefully relate to him. A good author will also paint his own picture by words. He will leave the reader with a picture in his head of what he is describing. A writer’s words are stronger than the stroke of an artist.

An example of this could be from W.E.B Dubois ‘s Of the Meaning of Progress . DuBois paints us a picture of his life . On page 225, DuBois describes a child , he says ‘ Thenie was on hand early ,-a jolly, ugly ,good-hearted , who slyly dipped snuff and looked after her little bow legged brother.’; This description is something a picture can not describe. A picture cannot significantly show someone being jolly or good hearted. These two descriptions are important in learning about the character, thus literature is more precise than images.

Berger’s also states that paintings leave the reader to make many conclusions. Berger is talking about the sitter in a painting by Frans Hals. He says ‘ It is not possible to produce circumstantial evidence to establish what there relationships were, ‘;(110). Here he is saying by looking at the picture, there aren’t many valid conclusions one can make. The viewer can see five people and describe what they look like, but he cannot dig any deeper. Any other conclusion a reader would make would be built on circumstance and not evidence. Literature would be able to describe these people and possibly establish relationship and feelings, something art and pictures cannot do.
Another example, that writing explains much more than a picture is Berger’s On Rembrandt’s ‘Women in Bed.’; When I look at this painting I see a young woman looking up at something from her bed. He writes ‘ there is a complicity between the women and the painter. This complicity includes both retinence and abandon , day and night. The curtain of the bed which Hendrickje lifts up her hand , marks the threshold between daytime and nighttime.’;( 129) From this painting I could not see any of this. The writing paints this picture in the readers mind, much better than the actual image. This explanation also enables a reader to relate to the writing. From this writing I can see this girl in the bed and almost feel what she is thinking. From the picture all I saw was a girl laying in bed, nothing more.

Again Berger describes Caravaggio’s ‘The Calling of St. Matthew’;. In this picture, to the naked eye, all the viewer would see is group of men in a dimly lit room. But through Berger’s description a reader or viewer can see much more . Berger’s says this painting depicts ‘ five men sitting around their usual table , telling stories , gossiping, boasting of what one day the will do, counting money .Suddenly the door is flung open . The two figures that appear are still apart of a violent noise and light of the invasion,’; ( 132). This description is amazing, because reading this , one can easily picture this scene in their head. It shows action and thinking, which the painting doesn’t. Again, the painting proves to lack description and thought. The artist cannot get his point across to the viewer though the painting . It is left up in the air for the viewer to make any conclusion he wants , where in Berger gives the reader straight forward evidence through description as to what is happening in the picture.

Again Berger contradicts himself in talking about the one Regent in the picture on page 111. Berger talks about how the painter must seduce the viewer into seeing what he or she wants them to see. He says ‘ Hals must almost seduce us into believing that we know the personality traits of the men and women portrayed.’; (111) He talks about the Regent being drunk , but there is no evidence to support this. My interpretation of this picture is a man with a white and black cloak with long hair. The idea of the man being drunk is inconclusive. This man could be seen in so many different opinions and states. He could be seen as tired or sick, or hungry. If this man was being written about in literature there would be a definite described state. The author would most likely tell us he was drunk or lead us into what he wants us to think.

Photographs are not a good way of expressing images either. Berger says ‘ The camera isolated momentary appearances and in doing so destroyed the idea that images were timeless,’; ( 113) . He is saying that when you take a picture it is no longer a picture that can be looked at forever and ever, it is just a quick pause in the scene. This quick pause is not long enough for the viewer to make any valid conclusion. Life can pass one by in the blink of an eye. This is how long it takes to snap a photograph, therefore no central idea or picture can be seen.

Finally, Berger talks about how photographs or reproductions of paintings destroys the image the painting is trying to give. This is very true. When a painting is broadcasted all over T.V. screens it lends a different meaning to each person that sees it. Bergers says ‘ each of them , is seen in a different context,’;( 115). If one draws a picture and sends it to millions of people it very possible there could be a million different interpretations. Paintings are left open for the viewer to make his own conclusion. An author could send out an essay to a million different people and receive and still have only one interpretation. An author often will write a thesis statement which lets the reader know exactly what the writing will be about.
In conclusion, literature is what has built this nation and world from the ground up. Unfortunately John Berger did not feel this way. Images give us a picture that we can see with our eyes, but images leave out the feelings we see in our heart. Literature gives us the power to see and feel everything. The heart and mind will forever be more powerful than the eye.
WORKS CITED
Berger, John. ‘Ways of Seeing.’; Ways of Reading. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Bedford/St. Martin’s: New York, Boston, 1999. Pg 104-132.

When thinking of good art or bad art what is there to think? I believe that art is art. While reading “Ways of Seeing” I see that most people need to understand the true meaning of art. Art is painting, drawings, sculptures, and etc. Art can be formed in many shapes or sizes. In the essay Mr. Berger states that “Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak. ” When Berger states that children look and recognizes before it can speak shows a lot with art. This means that as a child i learn things...

In his first essay of Ways of Seeing, John Berger claims that all power, authority, and meaning that was once held by an original work of art has been lost through the mass reproduction of these works that has occurred in recent years. He writes of an entirely bogus religiosity (116-117) that surrounds these art objects and that the meaning of the original work no longer lies in what it uniquely says but in what it uniquely is (117). He claims that because of reproduction, the art of the past no longer exists as it once did (127). Obviously, something...

John Berger's writing Ways of Seeing is a look into the world of art. Throughout his composition, he gives his opinions on various topics about art. Jane Tompkins essay Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History is a look into the world of history. Within her essay, Tompkins discusses her views on the quest of finding truth in history. She uses terms such as relativism ,the understanding that man or woman can never find the absolute truth in facts, and epistemological quandary , a predicament where in her case she could not find the correct knowledge and facts to...

Keats was mostly in the calm bosom of nature, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, it reveals he beauty of nature to him so that he is named as devotee of nature to beauty. His writings reflect some splendor of the natural world as he saw or dreamed it to be. Unlike William Wordsmith, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron and Percy Abysses Shelley, Keats remained absolutely untouched by revolutionary theories for the regeneration Of mankind. He endeavored to escape from reality in order to take refuge in the realm of imagination. This escape and remaining in imagination...

The poem "Lockers" by Eric Berger describes the pain and challenges a girl goes through while at school. Two predominant themes in this poem include bullying and pressure from school work. Being a teenager and knowing the fact that high school life Is not easy, I am able to relate to this poem, thus causing me to enjoy and appreciate what the author has written. One of the most apparent themes In "Lockers" Is academic pressure and lack of freedom. This is clearly illustrated when Berger writes: "Tests, deadlines, homework pressure" In the first line of the third stanza. She...

AP English Literature and Composition The Chrysanthemums John Steinbeck The third person point of view helps set up Elisa's initial perception of the world, one that includes the submissive role of women and their dismal role in anything work related. The symbolism, when combined with the point of view, is what brings out the best of Elisa and makes her realize that the things she does in life are not for other people to look down upon, but instead for people to bask in their glory as they provide nothing else but total sanctity, aloofness, and amazement, but there are...

John Keats' ?La Belle Dame Sans Merci?SPeech is where you make speeches. “La Belle Dame sans Merci” In “La Belle Dame sans Merci,” John Keats’ stresses the idea that beauty is only skin deep and also lies in the eye of the beholder. Through the use of two speakers, Keats’ is able to portray his theme by means of a story. As the poem begins, the reader meets the first speaker. As we read on, we come to find out that this is a passer-by. We also find out the state of the other speaker, “wretched Wight.” Sounds so full...

Poets convey their thoughts and emotions throughout their poems in a wide range off of ways, with the use of many different techniques. These emotions and thoughts could be hidden deeply or so simply written. Robert Frost quotes - "Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words" which is basically stating that what is written in poems is thought that is already in your mind. You just have to find the words to describe it. This is exactly what the poet has done in the 2 poems I have studied both by John...

How do you feel about photographs? Are you the type person that thinks a picture is worth a thousand words? If those statements describe you, you should probably take another look at how much weight and value that you give a photograph because pictures are very easily misinterpreted. When you take a minute to stop and think about pictures how they are looked at you might notice that more often than not if there is no writing with it you can only guess at what it shows. On the multiple occasions that we have looked at photos in class most...

John Keats has written the poem 'When I Have Fears' to express one of the most ineluctable feelings that one can have; the fear of death. "When I Have Fears" represents the admire and hunger for greater poetry, and wish for realizing the dreams of love and fame: selfish desire of human-being. Thus, what poet fears is being unable to fulfill his dreams. The title 'When I Have Fears' is also quite clue-giving: Keats fears the time he will die will come, although what he fears most is what he would leave behind when he died: love, fame and composing...

At artscolumbia.org you will find a wide variety of top-notch essay and term essay samples on any possible topics absolutely for free. Want to add some juice to your work? No problem! Here you will also find the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your research essay well-formatted and your essay highly evaluated.

Sara
from Artscolumbia

Hi there, would you like to get such an essay? How about receiving a customized one? Check it out goo.gl/Crty7Tt

Pictures Don't Always Paint a Thousand Words
John Berger makes a bold statement in saying ' No other relic or text from the past can offer such a direct testimony about the world which surrounded other people at other times. In this respect images are more precise and richer than literature,'; (Ways of Reading, 106). This statement is very untrue. Literature has been the focal point of all modern learning.. Literature lets the reader feel what the author is thinking, not just see it as you woul